In Nielsen ci impegniamo a restituire alle comunità in cui viviamo e operiamo. Per dare ai nostri dipendenti la possibilità di fare del bene alla propria comunità, mettiamo a disposizione di ogni dipendente Nielsen 24 ore di volontariato all'anno. I dipendenti sono liberi di utilizzare queste ore durante l'anno per eventi di gruppo o per attività di volontariato individuali che siano significative per loro.
Last year, Jake Comito, a Commercial Emerging Leader Associate (ELA) at Nielsen, was determined to find a way to help Houston after it was struck by Hurricane Harvey. While he could have simply made a donation and moved on, Jake knew that using his dedicated volunteering time would be a better way to make a meaningful impact. Working quickly, Jake forged a relationship between Nielsen Cares, our global volunteer program, and All Hands & Hearts – Smart Response (AHAH), a volunteer-driven disaster relief organization. He then successfully recruited 16 ELAs to travel to Houston, sleep in bunks and help the recovery efforts, dividing the group into two in order to spend back-to-back weeks providing aid.
With the positive feedback from that first trip, we decided to forge a year-long collaboration with AHAH to support additional group volunteer trips, as well as individual volunteering. One year after Houston, Jake and 19 other Nielsen associates volunteered again, this time in Puerto Rico, which was severely struck by Hurricane Maria in September 2017. From Nov. 12-16, 2018, the group traveled to Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, for a week of repairing homes, roofing and sanitizing.
During the week, the group together logged 800 volunteer hours and worked on at least five houses and a school affected by the hurricane, completing or contributing to a range of projects that included mold sanitation, critical roof repair and cementing. AHAH also gave the volunteers the opportunity to integrate themselves into the community, allowing them to better understand the impact they had on both the individual homeowners and the community at large.
Oltre alla settimana trascorsa a fare volontariato per riparare i danni dell'uragano, i nostri colleghi hanno anche raccolto fondi per le iniziative di recupero di Porto Rico a favore dell'AHAH.
Fatou Sow, una delle volontarie, ha detto di essere stata "ispirata dalla natura altruistica degli altri volontari provenienti da tutto il mondo". Anche Jake ha trovato l'esperienza di quest'anno "inestimabile", in quanto ha dato ai volontari l'opportunità di assistere una comunità bisognosa e di sviluppare "competenze per tutta la vita".
“When we heard about the experiences of the group that volunteered in Houston and saw the ongoing passion for this organization, extending the relationship with All Hands and Hearts – Smart Response seemed like an incredible way for Nielsen associates to engage with communities impacted by disasters, as well as connect with each other,” said Crystal Barnes, SVP of Global Responsibility & Sustainability at Nielsen. “We’re so excited to plan additional relief trips in 2019 and continue to build this relationship.”
Photo credit: Alicia Kidd Photography
